Starlight on Willow Lake (The Lakeshore Chronicles #11) by Susan WiggsPublisher: MiraPublished: August 25, 2015Pages: 384Find online: Amazon | B&N | Books-A-Million | GoodreadsMason Bellamy’s world is fast, loud and decorated with the most extreme risks. Nothing can tempt him to give up his high-rolling Manhattan life and high-maintenance girlfriend—not even family. When he’s called home to upstate Avalon to help his quadriplegic mother in her deepest time of need, he sets his mind on temporary, determined to craft a way to care for her from a distance.Alice Hayes is supposed to be his best solution. Hiring the gentle-hearted yet struggling caregiver as a live-in nurse gives Alice and her two daughters shelter, his mother companionship and Mason the freedom to escape to his adrenaline-pumped, no-attachments routine. But Alice’s beautiful presence promises to repair Mason’s frayed family ties. And his unstoppable attraction to Alice could lead to the most exhilarating thrill of his life.
This was a lovely book about loss (of all types) and overcoming the changes that come along with loss. Everyone in the story has had some sort of loss affect them and some are better at dealing with their losses then others. Faith lost her husband a few years back and has been struggling to make ends meet as a single mother, Mason has been dealing with losing his respect for his father and then losing his father without having come to peace with his fathers wanton ways and Alice is dealing not only with the loss of her husband, but also the loss of her independence due to being a quadriplegic after a skiing accident. All different forms of loss, but all are very similar in the way to move past it. And somehow, the characters come together to help each other when they are most in need. Divine intervention? Destiny or fate? Or just perfect timing?
Alice is by far the one with the most to deal with and overcome and it isn't until Faith and her daughters come into her life that she even begins to accept that she needs to make the effort to get better and make changes. Ruby, Faith's youngest, is the one that seems to help her the most. She makes her accountable and together they overcome fears and become quick friends. I really enjoyed how their relationship blossomed and adored how they came to mean so much to each other. I think Alice becomes such an inspiration once she allows herself to accept help and move on.
Mason, Alice's son, hasn't forgiven his father for the betrayal to the family that he stumbled upon as a teenager and now that his father has passed away, he can't seem to move on. Afraid to hurt his mother more with the secret and always trying to do what's best for everyone, is the one downfall that Mason has. He never takes time to make sure he is truly happy, he's always looking out for everyone else. It's admirable, but I'm sure it's exhausting and lonely. I love how Faith helps him to figure out what he really wants in life, what matters most and how he wants to live the rest of his life. They truly do help each other get past their problems, so they balance each other well.
Character wise I really enjoyed Ruby the most! She was the comic relief at times and also the voice of reason, always saying the most obvious things to the adults and reminding them to just do what has to be done and have fun. She was a joy to read about.
And the detail about how Alice lives her day to day life with all of the adjustments to her home and her life were of great interest to me. It's fascinating to know everything that can be done so that some in her state can still lead such a fulfilling life and have a bit of independence. I always wondered how they did many of their daily routines and such. Also, seeing how family reacts and how caregivers are so important to their well being, such an amazing thing to read about.
Overall, this story has a bit of humor, a dash of romance and a lot of soul searching. It was the perfect read for the end of summer vacation. It was also my first book by this author and I think I'd like to dive into more of The Lakeshore Chronicles to see what other intriguing characters live near by.
Alice is by far the one with the most to deal with and overcome and it isn't until Faith and her daughters come into her life that she even begins to accept that she needs to make the effort to get better and make changes. Ruby, Faith's youngest, is the one that seems to help her the most. She makes her accountable and together they overcome fears and become quick friends. I really enjoyed how their relationship blossomed and adored how they came to mean so much to each other. I think Alice becomes such an inspiration once she allows herself to accept help and move on.
Mason, Alice's son, hasn't forgiven his father for the betrayal to the family that he stumbled upon as a teenager and now that his father has passed away, he can't seem to move on. Afraid to hurt his mother more with the secret and always trying to do what's best for everyone, is the one downfall that Mason has. He never takes time to make sure he is truly happy, he's always looking out for everyone else. It's admirable, but I'm sure it's exhausting and lonely. I love how Faith helps him to figure out what he really wants in life, what matters most and how he wants to live the rest of his life. They truly do help each other get past their problems, so they balance each other well.
Character wise I really enjoyed Ruby the most! She was the comic relief at times and also the voice of reason, always saying the most obvious things to the adults and reminding them to just do what has to be done and have fun. She was a joy to read about.
And the detail about how Alice lives her day to day life with all of the adjustments to her home and her life were of great interest to me. It's fascinating to know everything that can be done so that some in her state can still lead such a fulfilling life and have a bit of independence. I always wondered how they did many of their daily routines and such. Also, seeing how family reacts and how caregivers are so important to their well being, such an amazing thing to read about.
Overall, this story has a bit of humor, a dash of romance and a lot of soul searching. It was the perfect read for the end of summer vacation. It was also my first book by this author and I think I'd like to dive into more of The Lakeshore Chronicles to see what other intriguing characters live near by.
About the Author:
Susan Wiggs is the author of many beloved bestsellers, including the popular Lakeshore Chronicles series. She has won many awards for her work, including a RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America.“Wiggs’s storytelling is heartwarming… [for] romance and women’s fiction readers of any age.”—Publishers Weekly
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This does sound like the perfect book for the end of summer vacation - I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
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It was a great read and now I need to go back and read the others in the series!
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